Kindergarten-February 27th Class

This week we covered chapter 17, Jesus Grew Up in Nazareth, in our text book.  The class learned about how the Holy Family lived and how we can do some things just like they did.  For example, playing games, eating meals together, praying, and buying food.  The children also learned that just as they have a family to help them grow big and strong, Jesus also had a family who loved and cared for Him and helped Him to grow.

During circle time the children listened to two stories about Jesus' boyhood.  The first was the chapter booklet "Jesus in the Temple" which told the story of Jesus staying behind in the temple.  The second story was from the Catholic Bible Stories for Children book which told about life in Nazareth based on archeological findings.  We also listened to a story about Flat Father Stanley's latest adventure.  It turns out he's thinking about looking into pursuing Ninja lessons since he's already got the look.  Flat Father's adventures never cease to amuse us!  I'm convinced that he's quite the character.

This week's homework is to pray the Our Father and Hail Mary every day.  Each week at circle time it's evident that some of the children are working very hard at learning these prayers.  The class has made great progress.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.  I'll see you next Sunday!

Third Grade-February 17th and 24th classes

I apologize for the incredibly late posting on these two classes.  I've been a bit under the weather as of late and hadn't gotten around to blogging about the classes.

On February 17th we covered chapter 12, God Calls Us to Holiness, in our text book.   We discussed how God calls each and every one of us to a life of holiness.  The children learned about vocations.  We discussed the vocations of laypeople and those called to religious life.

Our key words for the chapter were: Vocation, laypeople, and vows.  Students are responsible for knowing these terms.

The homework for this class was the project disciple portion of the chapter on page 112 and 113.

Our rosary mystery for this week was the third sorrowful mystery, Jesus is crowned with thorns.

This past Thursday, February 24th, we covered chapter 15, We Celebrate the Sacraments, in our text book.  In this chapter we discussed the seven sacraments of the church.  We also took a brief look at sacramentals, such as the sign of the cross, holy water, religious statues, rosaries and crucifixes.  The children learned that the seven sacraments were instituted by Jesus.  These seven sacraments all fall into one of three groups: Sacraments of Initiation, Sacraments of Healing and Sacraments of Service.

Our key words for this chapter are: sacrament, grace, Sacraments of Christian Initiation, Original Sin.  Students are responsible for knowing these terms and their meanings.

The homework for this week is the project disciple portion of the chapter on page 136 and 137.

Our rosary mystery for the week was the fourth sorrowful mystery, Jesus carries His cross.

This week the oldest child in the family was sent home with the Operation Rice Bowl packet that is to be utilized during Lent.  The poster and rice bowl are a great way to encourage your children to pray, fast and alms give during the Lenten season.

Hope you all have a great week.  I'll see you on Thursday!

Kindergarten-February 13th Class

This week we covered chapter 16, God the Father Gives Us Jesus, in our text book.  The class learned that God loves us so much that he gave us Jesus.  We discussed the many wonderful things God gives us, such as families, and friends.   We talked about the many ways that we can learn about Jesus.

During circle time the class listened to a little story that was a riddle.  Many of the children are doing a great job learning the Hail Mary and Our Father.

We did a Valentine craft this week that incorporated a Bible verse from 1Corinthians.  We also had a little surprise Valentine snack that was made by one of the members of the class.  We all enjoyed the yummy cookies.

I hope you all have a great two weeks.  Remember, our class will not meet again until February 27th.

Third Grade-February 10th Class

This week we covered chapter 11, The Parish Is Our Home, in the text book.  The students learned about some of the different ministries that our parish has.  We also discussed how the parish is our faith community.

Key words for this week are: parish, pastor, and deacon.  Students are responsible for knowing these words and their definitions.


This week's homework is to complete the Project Disciple activities on pages 104 and 105.

Our rosary mystery for the week was the second sorrowful mystery, the scourging at the pillar.  Students were given a coloring page representing this.

Hope you all have a great week.  See you Thursday!

Kindergarten-February 6th Class

This week we covered chapter 15, God Chooses Mary, in our text book.  The children learned in this chapter that God chose Mary to be Jesus's mother.  We discussed how Mary wanted to do what God wanted, and how she might have helped her own parents as a girl.

During circle time, the class listened to two stories about Mary.  The first story was from the little booklet that was part of the chapter.  The second story was about the Holy Family and was from the Catholic Children's Treasure Box series.

The children decorated Mary grotto crafts.  They all came out beautifully.

This week's homework is to pray the Hail Mary and the Our Father each day.

Hope you all have a great week.  See you Sunday!

Third Grade-February 3rd Class

This week we covered chapter 10, The Church Prays, in our text book.  The class learned about prayers of intercession, praise, petition, blessing and thanksgiving.  We talked about how Jesus taught the disciples the Our Father, and we prayed this prayer together. We discussed how we can pray together as a group, such as at Mass, or alone.

Our key words for this week are prayer, synagogue, liturgy and pilgrimages.  Everyone should have these keywords and their definitions highlighted in their text book.  Students are responsible for knowing these words and their definitions.

Our rosary mystery for this week was the first sorrowful mystery, the agony in the garden.  Students were given a coloring page that represents this mystery.

This week we played a game called Catholic Lingo Bingo from Arma Dei.  The bingo cards are pictures of sacramentals, things you would find at church, vestments, and people such as priests.  It's a fun game that teaches the kids a little about some items of which they might not know much.  For example, none of them knew what a monstrance was, but now they know it holds the Blessed Sacrament when it's exposed for Eucharistic Adoration.

This week's homework is to pray the Apostle's Creed daily and complete Project Disciple on pages 96 and 97.

Have a great week.  I'll see you next Thursday!

Kindergarten-January 30th Class

This week we covered chapter 12, We Learn About God with Our Friends.  In this chapter we talked about how friends are special gifts from God.  We discussed the many ways we can show our friend's God's love.  The chapter contained a few activities where the children looked at pictures to determine which sets of friends were making God happy by treating each other with kindness and which ones were not being kind.

During circle time the children listened to the conclusion of our story about the Blessed Mother from the Catholic Children's Treasure Box series.  We also learned about St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Frances of Rome and St. Martin de Porres.

The children colored in book marks to share with friends and family members as a craft.

This week's homework is to continue praying the Our Father and Hail Mary every day.

I hope you all have a great week!  See you on Sunday.